US Balked At Killing bin Ladin In August?

For this sort of action, I'm guessing that George W. Bush had to be in on the loop at some point. Assuming we had him in our sights for a fairly long time (which seems implied by the article).

And he didn't give the order? Or immediately write out pre-emptive pardons for all soldiers who might be worried about prosecutions later?

I'm afraid I'm going to need some goddamned answers on this one, buddy.

Col. David Hunt rips this "criminal" incompetence:

Our men and women are being blown up and killed every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every family who is separated from a loved one during this war is being insulted by our government when they fail to kill those who have already killed us and will not hesitate to do so again and again. Damn it guys, PULL THE DAMN TRIGGER.

That's good to know. It's still, I think, an important article that deserves to be "re-broken," as it were, but I'm glad for Dan for informing me of this -- because I thought I remembered a previous story like this, and I'm glad to know that, at least, we have only one example of letting ObL (probably) go on living rather than two.

It should also be noted that there was a "70%" chance this was bin Ladin, which Hunt says is an intelligence touchdown with two-point conversion, but I sorta think he's already dead -- and I'm a bit dubious when intelligence keeps telling me that obviously-old videos are proof of current life.